


Himalayan White

by Deadlihood



Series: Hauntings [2]
Category: EXO (Band), f(x)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, M/M, Romance, Sufanxing is the new black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:31:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8742514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadlihood/pseuds/Deadlihood
Summary: Sehun had hoped his family would be safe from hauntings.





	

“Jongin, for the love of God, if you don’t get on your side of the bed I’m going to kill you.” Sehun groaned, smacking blindly at Jongin’s solid body. Jongin had woken him up early on his day off and he was more than a little cranky.

“Come on baby, I just love you.” Jongin murmured between small pecks on Sehun’s face, neck, and shoulders.

“I love you too, just not _right now_.” Sehun rolled onto his back, which was immediately a terrible idea. Jongin immediately slung one leg over his hips and attacked him with full force. “Fine, fine! I surrender!” Sehun reached up and grabbed Jongin by the face to pull him down for a kiss. He didn’t even mind the morning breath.

Despite Jongin’s eagerness to wake Sehun up, it was a slow and easy ride that morning. It usually was when Sehun topped. He just wanted to keep everything going as long as they could, to stay as close to Jongin as he could be.

When they had finished, Sehun grabbed a handful of tissues from his nightstand and wiped them both down, easily tossing the ball of used tissues into the trash can from the bed. He leaned back into bed and looked over at Jongin, sprawled out and panting still. Against the white sheets, Jongin looked even more like a young god, bronze skin stretched taut over muscles, full mouth hanging open as he tried to catch his breath. Sehun didn’t think he’d ever been as in love with him as he was in that moment.

Jongin caught him staring and surged up to kiss him again. “Mm, coffee?” He mumbled against Sehun’s lips.

“Coffee sounds good.” It was even better when Jongin got out of bed and wandered into their kitchen naked. It had started getting more use now that Sehun had moved into the cottage with him. Not even two months after Sehun had helped Taemin move on, Jongin had asked him to move in. Sehun had shown up the next day with his things packed into Kris’s pick-up truck and made himself at home.

Jongin brought their coffee into the bedroom and climbed under the covers with Sehun. “It’s still raining.”

“Of course it’s still raining.” Sehun laughed. “I swear, it never stops raining here.”  They drank their coffee in companionable silence, listening to the crashing of the waves on the shore. It had taken Sehun a while to get used to the constant ocean sounds right outside the window, but it felt comfortable, even soothing, now.

“So what would you like to do on this glorious day off?” Jongin asked when they had finished their coffee. Minseok and Luhan were celebrating their anniversary and had taken the day off.

“I think I’d like to stay in bed and do nothing.” Sehun stretched lazily, letting out a soft grunt when he relaxed. “How about you?”

“If you’re going to be in bed, I don’t see why I should get out.” Jongin’s eyes were sparkling with mischief. “We’ve got condoms and lube enough to last us for weeks.”

Sehun laughed, gathering Jongin into his arms and burying his face in his soft hair. Jongin had dyed his hair dark gray, which looked surprisingly good on him. Sehun had let his hair grow back out to its natural black. If he’d thought they looked good together with their bleach blond hair, they looked even better now.

It was around noon that Sehun’s phone rang. He groaned, lifting his head off Jongin’s shoulder and grabbed it. “Hello?” He said, not bothering to glance at the caller ID.

“Hey, Sehun, sorry to bug you on your day off.” Kris said on the other end. “Are you and Jongin busy right now?”

“Not exactly. What’s up?”

“It’s Junmyeon.” Kris lowered his voice and there was the sound of a door closing. “He got back from his trip last night and he’s been…off.”

“What do you mean, off?” Sehun sat up; Jongin mirrored his movement.

“He snapped at Yixing this morning, he’s been stalking around the house and picking things up like he doesn’t know why they’re there, and he growled at me when I tried to talk to him.”

“That is definitely not Junmyeon.”

“No, it’s not, and I’m worried. I was hoping you and Jongin could come over, maybe snap him out of whatever funk he’s in.”

“You don’t think you and Yixing should take care of this?”

“Since he got home he’s been ignoring us if he’s not shouting at us. I think we need the cavalry for this one.”

“All right. We’ll be there soon.” Sehun hung up and got out of bed, grabbing the first pair of pants he could get his hands on. “Something’s wrong with Junmyeon.”

“I heard.” Jongin was getting up also and getting dressed. He tossed a sweater to Sehun and he pulled it over his head.

“I don’t think this is normal.”

“Well obviously it’s not, Junmyeon never yells at Yixing.”

“No, I mean it’s not normal like this isn’t just something he has stuck in his craw. This is my kind of not normal.”

Jongin’s face paled. “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, not good. You have that amulet I gave you?” Jongin dug it out of the nightstand drawer and dropped it over his head, tucking it under his shirt.

“Do we go in guns blazing or try and play it cool?” Jongin had gotten used to this kind of thing, ever since he found out about Sehun’s abilities. He’d helped exorcise more than one haunted object Minseok had brought in.

“I think playing it cool is our best bet.” Sehun still grabbed the duffel bag they kept under the bed and hauled it out, sorting through the labeled baggies for the herbs he wanted. “Fennel and wood betony. Keep it in your pocket.” He threw the bags to Jongin, who tucked them safely away. Within ten minutes of Kris’s phone call, Sehun and Jongin were on the road.

The rain beating down seemed all the more ominous now. It was slowing them down, keeping them from getting to Kris and Yixing and Junmyeon quickly. It seemed like an eternity before they were pulling into the driveway and scampering under the awning.

Kris let them in, having been watching from the window. “He’s in the living room with Yixing. He keeps twitching and rolling his neck like he’s got a crick. If I didn’t know better I’d think he was high.”

“Let’s see if we can calm him down.” Sehun said carefully, trying to keep his face clear of all his worries. They had just turned to the living room when there was a _thwack_ of flesh hitting flesh and a yelp of pain.

When they came into the living room, Yixing was on the ground, holding one cheek and staring up at Junmyeon in surprise. Junmyeon looked up when he heard the footsteps and Sehun nearly shrank back. His eyes, usually so warm and loving, were flat black like two buttons. Kris hurried over and picked Yixing up, hauling him up and behind him.

“Junmyeon, what the fuck?” Kris demanded, his protective stance keeping Junmyeon from seeing that Yixing had started to cry silently. Junmyeon just rolled his eyes, turning them back on Jongin and Sehun. When Sehun looked him in the eyes, he felt like he was looking at a snake, pinned in place in fear. But deep in his gut, he felt the presence. Something else was there, gripping at his heart with icy fingers.

“Sweet little boys,” Junmyeon cooed as he came closer. Jongin instinctively stepped in front of Sehun, which made Junmyeon laugh. “How cute.” With one hand, he batted Jongin out of the way. His shoulder hit the doorframe hard and he slumped down, clutching his arm. Before Sehun or Kris could react, Junmyeon had lifted Sehun up by his neck, icy cold hands squeezing tight around his throat.

“Junmyeon, no!” Kris looked like he was going to try to intervene but Junmyeon tutted, face calm even as Sehun clawed at his hands.

“Unless you want me to break his spine, you won’t come any closer.” Junmyeon’s voice didn’t even sound like him anymore, or maybe that was the blood rushing in Sehun’s ears. Junmyeon turned his gaze back to Sehun. “Little clairvoyant. I can smell it all over you.”

“Junmyeon, please.” Sehun croaked. His eyes cleared for just a moment, and he seemed to recognize Sehun.

“Help me,” he whispered, just before flinging him into the sliding glass door.

When Sehun came to, Junmyeon was gone. Jongin was holding his head in his lap, using his good arm to hold an icepack to his shoulder. Yixing was still crying, and Kris was methodically sweeping up the bits of shattered glass. Sehun turned his head, groaning as he did, and saw the massive crater his body had left behind. Parts of the glass had broken, but mostly it had just spiderwebbed out from the impact.

“Are you all right baby?” Jongin asked softly, looking down at him. He was too used to seeing Sehun knocked out.

“I think I’ll live.” Sehun sat up slowly, waiting for the room to stop spinning. “Where’s Junmyeon?”

“After he threw you like a rag doll, he took off through the front door.” Kris answered. He sounded like he was barely holding it together. “Sehun, what the hell was that?”

Sehun took a deep breath. “I think Junmyeon has been possessed by a malevolent spirit.”

For a moment, Yixing and Kris just looked at him like he was insane. Then Kris blinked and said, “and how do you know that?”

“Have you ever known Junmyeon to snap at Yixing? Or to hit any of us? Or be capable of slamming us around like pillows?” Sehun shook his head. “And his eyes, they’re not right.”

“He called you a clairvoyant.” Yixing said thickly.

“I am a clairvoyant. Junmyeon is too, to an extent.” Sehun waited for that initial shock to settle over them. “I’ve been able to see spirits since I was a little kid. My family has the Sight. My gift is a lot more powerful than Junmyeon’s, but he’s just as receptive to the spirit world as I am. My guess is that while he was gone, something pushed him out and got into his body.”

Kris sat down heavily next to Yixing, head in his hands. “So you can see ghosts. And you think a ghost is in our boyfriend.”

“Yes. And we need to find him before he does something that Junmyeon can get blamed for, or he hurts the body somehow.” Sehun felt for his phone in his pocket. It was thankfully undamaged. “And we need the real cavalry right now. I have a few witch friends, we’re going to need them.”

\--

It was truly a crowd by the time Luhan and Minseok arrived. Kris, Yixing, and Jongin had called everyone up and told them to come to the house while Sehun was on the phone with Amber. She and Krystal would come over as soon as they could to help with the hunt, and to figure out how to get Junmyeon back.

“Sorry to interrupt your anniversary.” Kris said helplessly when he saw them come in.

“Kris, this is Junmyeon.” Luhan shook his head. “After everything he’s done, for all of us, we need to be here.”

“Thank you.” Kris moved aside so they could join the mess in the living room. Tao was still dressed in his wushu clothes, having left the class he was teaching abruptly. Kyungsoo had come straight from work in his suit. Jongdae still had flour in his hair, Chanyeol paint on his hands. They had come as soon as they heard, because Junmyeon was theirs.

With everyone finally present, Kris and Sehun explained the situation, down to every dirty detail of Sehun’s gift. Luhan was a little hurt that Minseok had known and neither he nor Sehun had told him. But the pressing issue at hand was the search for Junmyeon. The storm was still going and he had taken off on foot. It was still a human body, even if Junmyeon wasn’t currently in charge. They needed to find him and bring him home before there was irreparable damage done.

“So apparently Sehun has some witch friends that are going to come help us get Junmyeon back.” Kris looked like he had had enough shocks for the rest of his life. “The rest of us should spread out, try to find Junmyeon. Sehun, Yixing, and Jongin are going to stay here to man the command station and try to work out a spell to get Junmyeon back.”

Everyone murmured their agreement, but Sehun couldn’t help but feel their wary eyes on him. This was what he had always wanted to avoid, his family being afraid of him. He curled instinctively into Jongin, who wrapped his good arm around him and squeezed gently. As they began to filter out, Baekhyun hesitated in front of Sehun.

He braced for the worst, eyes dropping to the floor, but Baekhyun simply leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “I always knew you were special.” Baekhyun murmured. “I may be neurotic and scared of my own shadow, but I knew you were special. And you’re going to get Junmyeon home.”

Sehun just nodded, and Baekhyun hurried to catch up with Chanyeol. Kris was saying goodbye to Yixing in the kitchen, arms wrapped tightly around him. Never had his dancer felt more fragile in his arms, not even when he’d injured his waist.

“We’re going to get him back, Yixing.” Kris murmured into his hair. “I promise you, we’re going to get him back and he’ll be safe in our arms before you know it.”

Yixing looked up at him, clear-eyed. “Bring him home.”

“I promise.” He bent to kiss him, then grabbed his jacket and keys and took off to the pick-up truck. Yixing walked out to the living room, where Sehun was pacing anxiously.

“I guess that explains why the storage shed always smells like hippies live in it.” Yixing said, leveling his gaze at Sehun. “He was helping you.”

“Junmyeon doesn’t know when to take cover.” Sehun shrugged. “He never let me do it alone.”

“That’s my Junnie.” Something his calm façade cracked, and he wrapped his arms around his middle. “Do you really think we can get him back?”

Sehun crossed the room and hugged Yixing. “Yes. I know we can.”

The front door opened and all of them tensed, wondering if it was Junmyeon. Amber swept into the living room, pulling off her rain soaked beanie as she went. Krystal was on her heels, tying up an umbrella.

“We’re here. Time to get to work.” She plopped her grimoire down on the coffee table. Krystal set down the case of herbs they’d brought along. Yixing looked like they’d brought a dead deer in and dumped it on his coffee table. Amber turned and found him, her eyes softening. She held a hand out to him, which he took suspiciously. She folded it between her hands, closed her eyes, and blew over them gently.

Sehun watched as Yixing visibly relaxed under Amber’s touch. Krystal was smiling gently, arms crossed over her chest. Amber let go and opened her eyes. “There. Is that a little better?”

Yixing shook himself, blinking rapidly. “What did you do?”

“I just took the edge off. You’ll be able to find him easier with a clear head.” Amber smiled before turning back to Sehun. “So, what do we know?”

“Super strength, irrational, homicidal, weird flat black eyes.” Sehun rattled off.

“Definitely a malevolent spirit. We’re going to have to get him back here in a trap.” Amber eyed the area rug under the coffee table. “Can we move some furniture? We’re going to need a lot of space.”

Jongin, useless with his hurt shoulder, directed traffic while the others cleared the living room of furniture, save the coffee table. The rug was rolled off to the side and stood up against the wall. Sehun had the presence of mind to duct tape some trash bags over the shattered glass to keep some of the rain out. It also helped him to not have to look at the impact his body had made.

It took Amber some time to find the appropriate spell in the grimoire to trap whatever was inside Junmyeon. Then there was the time it took to burn down the herbs and oils to make the ash needed for the symbol.

Krystal was standing over the stove, stirring the herbs absently when she felt Yixing come into the room. He peered into the pile of smoldering herbs and oils and pulled back quickly, the smell like a punch to the face.

“Yeah, it’s a bit pungent.” Krystal said. “I would turn the vent on but I don’t want the air flow to mess with the herbs.”

“I really don’t understand how this is going to help.” Yixing pushed his hair back from his eyes, feeling more helpless than he ever had. “It’s just a bunch of plants and oils that are making my kitchen smell godawful.” _Junmyeon’s_ kitchen, he thought to himself.

“Everything in the world has a property, a use, a value. Herbs especially. People used to chew on willow’s bark to bring down their fevers; it’s the same thing as aspirin. Nature is more powerful than people think.”

“So we’re going to trap Junmyeon with aspirin.”

“Not quite. These are herbs specifically used to trap evil spirits. When it gets into a paste, we’ll use it to paint the trap on the floor. Junmyeon steps in and he can’t come back out. It’s the easiest way to contain him.”

“We still have to find him first, and get him back here.”

“If the others don’t have any luck looking for him, we might try scrying.” Krystal continued when Yixing looked confused. “It’s a method of finding people. A map, a crystal, and something of theirs, usually. It may not work because it’s not really Junmyeon in there.”

“I should call Kris, see if he’s heard anything.” Yixing stepped into the overcrowded dining room, climbing onto the side of the couch and leaning against the wall. Kris picked up almost immediately.

“Hi honey.” Kris sounded exhausted.

“Have you heard anything?” Yixing asked, clenching his teeth and hoping for good news.

“Nothing. The rain is getting so strong we’re thinking he might be taking shelter somewhere.” Kris paused. “How are you doing at the house?”

“There’s a witch standing at our kitchen stove making herbs and oils into a paste to paint on our floor to trap Junmyeon in.”

“You know, I could have gone my whole life without ever hearing that sentence.”

“Me, too.” Yixing sighed. “Be careful. I can’t lose you too.”

“We haven’t lost him. I refuse to believe we’ve lost him.”

“I better see if they need anything. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

When Yixing returned to the living room, Jongin was shirtless and Sehun was smearing some kind of gooey, green paste over his hurt shoulder.

“Do I even want to know?” Yixing asked, gesturing at the paste.

“It’ll help with the pain and the swelling.” Amber said without looking up from the book. “How are you feeling?”

“How do you think I’m feeling?”

“Like shit. Sit down, I’ll make you some tea.” Amber got up and disappeared into the kitchen. The others could hear her and Krystal talking softly.

Jongin let his head loll onto Sehun’s shoulder, breathing through the stinging in his muscles. The paste felt like the worst menthol patch he’d ever used dialed up to a thousand. But he’d learned to trust Sehun and Amber when it came to herbal remedies and if he was going to be any use, he needed to have two functional arms.

Yixing couldn’t look at the two of them, coiled up together. He ached for Junmyeon and Kris. Without them, his life was empty.

A mug of tea appeared below his nose and he accepted it wordlessly. It smelled like violets and something else he couldn’t identify. He did feel calmer, less likely to explode at any moment. It made it easier to watch Krystal and Amber use their fingers to draw a large pentacle in the middle of his living room floor, whispering a spell over it. It glowed white for a moment and then returned to the ash color it had started as.

Two hours had passed since the search party went out; everyone checked in and said they hadn’t seen Junmyeon. Amber decided it was time to try scrying and undid the crystal from around her neck, dangling it from its long leather tie over the map.

“We need something of Junmyeon’s.” Her eyes fell on Yixing and she made a face like she was considering him. “Yixing, I think you should try it.”

“I’m not a witch though.” He said as he got up.

“No, but you’re intimately connected to Junmyeon. You may be able to find him.” She handed him the crystal. “Let it move over the map in a circle, not over any spot in particular, and think of Junmyeon.”

So he did. He thought of the day he’d moved in with Junmyeon and Kris, thought of family dinners and falling asleep on the couch with him and the unbearable tangle of limbs and hands and mouths the three of them made and the horrible loss he felt with Junmyeon gone. A tear slid down his face and he felt the crystal drop.

“I think we may have him.” Amber said, looking at the area. “It’s wooded, a good place to hide.” They went back to their phones, calling to see who was in the area. Tao and Kyungsoo were close enough to try to find him.

“What do we do when we get him here?” Sehun asked Amber softly.

“We mark everyone up with ash so the spirit can’t jump into anyone. Keep Junmyeon contained in the trap.”

“And then what?”

Amber sighed. “Then, my dear Sehun, I have to send your spirit into the astral plane to find Junmyeon. That’s my guess where Junmyeon landed when the nasty little sucker got into his body.”

“I’m going with him.” Jongin chimed in. His face left no room for argument. Not that Amber had planned on sending Sehun alone.

“You just stay still and let that work on you. Right now all we can do is wait and see if they can corral Junmyeon.” Amber ran a hand through her damp hair, making it stand up at all angles. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

“No one thought it was going to be.” Sehun squeezed her knee. “We signed up to get Junmyeon back, no matter what.”

Another agonizing half hour passed before there was a commotion at the front of the house. Yixing and Sehun jumped to their feet, hurrying to the front door as it banged in. Tao and Kyungsoo were carrying a struggling Junmyeon between them. He was shouting something in a strange language, his hands bound behind his back with what looked like Kyungsoo’s belt and tie.

“In here, quickly!” Amber gestured at the trap painted on the floor and Junmyeon started struggling harder. He looked like a rabid animal, eyes white and rolling and teeth gnashing. It took Yixing and Sehun’s help to get him into the trap. They dropped him unceremoniously and Junmyeon got to his feet, snarling, and ripped his restraints apart. He tried to rush at Yixing, slammed into an invisible barrier, and fell back. All of them watched in horror as his arms and legs snapped to the lines of the pentacle, pinning him in place.

“Holy shit.” Tao breathed. Sehun glanced at him and saw his eye was purple and rapidly swelling.

“Taozi, come here.” Sehun picked up the bowl of green paste he’d used on Jongin and dabbed it around his eye. Tao hissed in pain as the paste hit the inflamed flesh.

“What the hell is that?” He asked his eye began to water.

“Herbal remedy, it helps with the swelling.” Yixing replied briskly. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Junmyeon on the floor. He was still ranting unintelligibly, but he didn’t seem like he could move.

“We better call everyone back here. We need all hands on deck.” Amber said. “Get your phone tree moving, boys.”

The flash of headlights and the slams of car doors heralded the arrival of the rest of the family. Junmyeon had gone silent after a while, but his eyes still flicked around the room, always aware of where everyone was. Kris stepped a little too close to the trap and Junmyeon snapped at him, his jaws clashing viciously. Kris stepped away, ducking behind his hair to hide his tears, and wrapped himself around Yixing.

Everyone seemed to be waiting expectantly for Amber to speak, but she was still buried in her grimoire. Finally she found what she was looking for and stood, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Before we do anything else, I need to place protections on all of you, in case the spirit inside Junmyeon decides to slip into someone.” Amber held up the leftover ashy paste from the trap. “Sleeves rolled up, wrists exposed please.” Krystal and Amber made their way around the circle, painting everyone’s wrists with the protective sigils. Like the trap, they glowed white gently before settling to gray.

When they were done, Amber returned to the coffee table, carefully rereading the page. “Krystal, can you take care of this potion? I need to…brief them.” She gestured vaguely at Sehun and Jongin.

“I’ve got it.” Krystal glanced at the room. “Anyone here a good cook?”

Jongdae raised his hand. “I’m a baker, does that count?”

“You’ll do. Come on.” She led him into the kitchen with the grimoire in one hand and the herb case in the other.

“This isn’t going to be easy for either of you.” Amber said as a preamble. “It’s going to be dangerous, and scary, and if you don’t get it exactly right I might have to yank you back out and that will be bad.”

“Amb, can we just get to the point?” Sehun sighed.

“Krystal is working on a potion right now that will allow you to project yourselves onto the astral plane. You lie down, you drink it, and you land in the astral plane. Finding Junmyeon is going to be the easy part.”

“Wait, you’re sending Sehun and Jongin to the astral plane?” Kris didn’t even want to think about the words that had just come out of his mouth. “I’m going with them.”

“Kris, you should stay here.” Luhan said softly, eyes flickering towards Yixing.

“No. I’m going with them.” For the first time, it seemed like Kris was going to really crack, his voice thick with tears and eyes bloodshot. “That is my partner in there, I’m going with them.” Yixing nodded slowly.

“I agree. Kris should go.”

Amber sighed. “All right. You find Junmyeon, and his spirit should attach to one of yours. Then you have to do this spell, exactly as it says, to pull you all out.” Amber quickly copied the spell out. Sehun glanced over it, trying to absorb the information.

“You have these herbs on hand?” He asked.

“Yes. Once you get back here, we need to start the exorcism. Junmyeon’s spirit will overload whoever he comes back in if we wait too long.” Amber paused. “Shit.”

“What?” Minseok demanded. “What’s wrong?”

“We need a full thirteen. If Junmyeon is piggybacking, we’re short one.” Amber gnawed on her lip.

“I think I know someone who can come fill in.” Kris went upstairs and closed the bedroom door behind him, but they could hear the deep rumble of his voice reverberating through the house.

That was when Junmyeon started again, this time in English, and this time with knowledge only Junmyeon should have had. He ripped into each of them, one after the other, attacking their sore spots even as he was pinned to the ground.

“Can we gag him?” Kyungsoo asked finally, after one particularly painful taunt directed at Baekhyun.

“I don’t suggest getting that near to him.” Amber said. “Krystal, how’s it going?”

“Nearly done!” She called back. “Jongdae, don’t!” There was a boom and a cloud of smoke billowed out of the kitchen. Chanyeol and Minseok were the first to go in and see what was wrong. Krystal and Jongdae emerged, sooty and coughing.

“What happened?” Amber demanded, moving towards her girlfriend to make sure she was all right.

“Jongdae got a little overexuberant with the bloodroot, but it turned out fine.” Krystal held up the glass of thick, emerald colored liquid. It reminded Sehun of pond water. “We’re ready to rock and roll, as soon as Kris gets here.”

“I’m here.” Kris jogged down the stairs, tucking his phone in his pocket. “Yixing, I called Minho.”

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Yixing muttered to him.

“Minho loves him. That’s what we need. Someone who loves him and will keep his mouth shut.” Kris watched as Sehun carefully tucked the herbs and spell into his pocket, then bound his wrist to Jongin’s with a white silk rope.

“Kris, if you’d get into position please.” Amber gestured for him to lie down next to them and bound Kris to Sehun with another piece of rope. “Try to swallow it as fast as you can. It’s not exactly lemonade.” And with that preamble, she poured a healthy amount of it into Sehun’s open mouth. He swallowed, and his head hit the floor with a loud thunk, eyes fluttering shut. Jongin went next, then Kris.

“Are they dead?” Tao asked, leaning over their bodies. He could barely see their chests rising and falling.

“They’re on another plane. The lights are on, but nobody’s home, you know?” Amber rubbed her face, feeling the exhaustion taking hold. “Stand down everyone. It’s time to hurry up and wait.”

Taking the potion felt like falling. Sehun felt like he was tumbling backwards, fingers scrabbling for purchase against the darkness.

The impact knocked the wind out of him. He groaned, feeling the back of his head for any injuries. Next to him, Jongin was struggling to sit up, and Kris was vomiting profusely.

 

"Astral vomit." Sehun muttered, sitting up slowly. "Are you okay Kris?"

"I've felt better." He leaned back on his heels and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "This is the weirdest fucking day."

"This isn't exactly my average day either." Sehun let Jongin help him to his feet, then they hauled Kris upright to get their bearings. The sky was dark with storm clouds, like the real world, but nothing around them looked familiar. It was a town, no doubt, but not theirs. There was no sound of the ocean, no salty breeze.

Kris turned around, eyebrows knitted together. "I know this place. This is Junmyeon's home town."

"Probably where he got kicked out, then." Sehun felt in his pocket to make sure all the herbs were still there. "Do you know where he might have been staying?"

"He stayed with his parents, but he was working somewhere else." Kris raked a hand through his hair angrily. "I should have fucking payed attention to where he was working, I have no idea."

"It's okay, we're going to find him." Jongin said soothingly, rubbing his back. Neither of them were paying attention to Sehun, who had crouched to draw a small pentacle around himself. He didn't have the candles or the herbs or Amber to help him, but maybe that wouldn't matter in the astral plane. He crossed his legs and tried to clear his mind of any other thoughts.

His call echoed in the endlessness of the beyond. For a moment he thought it hadn't worked, but he heard the slightest response, a hint of recognition. He called again, trying to draw it closer. 

"Sehun, what are you doing?" Kris demanded, finally noticing Sehun in a meditative pose.

"Let him do it." Jongin recognized the symbol around Sehun. "He's calling for someone."

It was exhausting. Sehun was pulling so hard on magic that wasn't his own and it wasn't quite enough. A figure flickered in front of Kris and Jongin like static on a television. Sehun gritted his teeth and reached deep inside of himself and  _pulled_ , and it was enough to knock him flat on his back.

The hand that reached down to help him up was not quite opaque, but got a grip on his shoulder anyway. "Hi Taemin," Sehun slurred, leaning against his body. If he'd been more coherent, he would have noticed how strange it was for Taemin to be corporeal.

"Hi yourself. What are you two doing here?" Taemin asked, turning his head to look at Jongin and the stranger he vaguely recognized from pictures. 

"Our friend got possessed. We think his spirit is here somewhere." Sehun blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. Jongin looked like he might cry from seeing Taemin again; Kris looked like he might rip his own hair clear out of his head.

"So you needed a helping hand, so to speak?" Taemin chuckled. "I think I can help you navigate this place, but we need to move fast. Can you walk?"

"I think so." Sehun stepped away and wobbled for a moment, but stayed on his feet. "Let's go."

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you?" Kris burst out as he trailed behind them.

"He's an old friend. Dead, but a friend." Jongin supplied, shrugging helplessly. "It's a long story and if Taemin wants to hurry, that means we need to move."

"We do, or you three might not get home." Taemin paused, hands in front of him. "The spirits of the living vibrate differently here. I can feel others like me moving between the planes, but you feel different."

"Can we follow that to find Junmyeon?" Sehun asked.

"I think so." Taemin rotated, hands reaching before him. "It's faint, but there's someone else here."

"Which direction?" Kris demanded. Taemin squeezed his eyes shut. 

"This way." He said, pointing to the left of them. And he's not alone, so we need to hurry."

"What do you mean, he's not alone?" Jongin asked, jogging to catch up with Taemin. Kris was already strides ahead of them, desperate to get Junmyeon back.

"There are spirits of the astral plane, and spirits of the dead here. One of them is with him, covering up his vibrations, I guess you could say. And he doesn't exactly feel like a nice guy." Taemin sped up to overtake Kris. "You need to let me lead."

Kris looked like he was going to spit something nasty at him, but swallowed it down. "As long as we hurry."

They hurried down what looked like the main street of the town, their footsteps muffled like they were walking on carpet. It was eerie, all the empty buildings and the storm hanging overhead. As they moved, Sehun felt something tugging at his belly. It felt like home, like a cup of tea on a rainy day, like sunshine on the grass. He couldn't hold back the sob that bubbled up his throat. Jongin stopped, hands wiping at the tears on his face.

"Sehun, what's the matter?" He asked worriedly.

"I can feel him." Sehun croaked out. "I can feel Junmyeon."

"He's not far." Taemin called back to him. Sehun and Jongin ran to catch up, the tears freezing away on Sehun's cheeks. He could feel Junmyeon's presence, could feel his fear and his pain.

Kris was already running up the front steps of an office building when they caught up. "Junmyeon!" He yelled, shoving the door open. The others were close on his heels, Sehun half doubled over from the pain he was getting from Junmyeon. Jongin slowed to help him, while Kris and Taemin went ahead.

Sehun bent over and vomited black liquid. Jongin watched with horrified eyes as he retched again, more inky blackness pooling around his feet. 

"Taemin!" Jongin shrieked. "Something's wrong!" Taemin turned, saw the vomit, and grabbed Kris's shoulder.

"Slow down. We don't know what we're walking into." Taemin said, eyes still on Sehun, who was gasping for air. 

"It's evil." Sehun croaked out. "What's with Junmyeon, it's evil. It's feeding on him." He straightened up, feeling the dizziness but forcing himself to stand. "Go, let's go." He stumbled more than walked, Jongin holding him up as they searched the building.

When Sehun had to stop and throw up again, Taemin flung the door open and barreled in, Kris close on his heels. With his meager strength, Sehun shoved Jongin after them.

Jongin didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as horrible as what lay inside that room. Junmyeon, barefoot and bleeding from several thin cuts across the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands, was slumped in one corner, holding his side like he’d just been kicked. Kris had tackled something that looked vaguely like a human, but turned his stomach to look at.

“Get Junmyeon out of here!” Taemin called over his shoulder before grabbing at Kris and yanking him off. “All of you, go!”

“What about you?” Jongin demanded, watching his friend wrestle with the creature.

“I’ll be fine! Just go!” Taemin got the thing in a headlock, grunting when it hit him in the stomach. Kris hauled Junmyeon up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Jongin followed them out, with one last look at Taemin. Sehun was wavering but on his feet again, leaning heavily on Jongin as they escaped the building.

“Kris…” Junmyeon moaned. “Kris why are you here?”

“I had to come get you baby. Yixing and I would never leave you to this.” Kris sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

“There’s no way out of here.” Junmyeon sobbed, his palms leaving bloody marks on Kris’s back.

“I’m our ticket out.” Sehun said weakly. “Here, Kris, stop here.” It was off the main road, tucked in an alley. With any luck, Taemin could hold the thing off long enough for them to get the hell off this plane.

It was hard to stay upright on his knees, even with everyone hanging onto him. Sehun could feel Junmyeon’s blood soaking into his shoulder; it made him want to throw up again. He just needed to get them home and everything would be fine.

Carefully, slowly, Sehun crushed the herbs between his fingers, the aromatic oils coating his skin, and read the spell Amber had written out for him.

If going onto the astral plane had felt like falling, leaving it felt like drowning. Sehun couldn’t get air in his lungs, couldn’t feel anything but the crushing weight.

And then he slammed back into his body, eyes flying open. Kris and Jongin were still bound on either side of him with the white rope. And curled in his chest, wrapped around his heart, was Junmyeon. Sehun could feel his pain and terror.

“Junmyeon?” Sehun said softly. He felt a responding flicker in his chest. “I’ve got you, Suho. We’re going to make this right.”

“Makes sense that he chose you to piggyback on.” Amber said, undoing their wrists. “You’ve got the best reception for a spirit.”

“He’s-he’s really in there?” A new voice asked. Sehun turned his head and Junmyeon tightened his grip around his heart.

“Ow, fuck Junmyeon!” Sehun said, rubbing his chest. The man who’d spoken was tall, with silver hair swept off his high forehead. Just based on how uncomfortable Yixing and Kris both looked, Sehun guessed he was Junmyeon’s ex-boyfriend.

“He’s in there all right.” Kris muttered. Junmyeon’s body was still lying prone in the middle of the trap, but with what looked like a scarf stuffed in his mouth.

“We couldn’t take the yammering anymore.” Chanyeol said as explanation.

“All right, we’ve got thirteen people. Sehun, you’re going to want to lie down.” Amber ushered everyone into a circle around the trap. “We start this, and it’s going to get messy. The spirit won’t want to leave, and Sehun’s body can’t hold both of them at once. No one lets go, no matter what happens.”

The grim nods she received told her that the thirteen was chosen well. Jongin kept looking over his shoulder at Sehun, but he was standing his ground in the circle.

It started as a hum that seemed to vibrate around in Sehun’s skull. Junmyeon’s body started to twitch, his eyes rolling around.

Then Amber began to chant. Something like a surge of electricity traveled through the linked hands. Sehun’s back arched against the floor, feeling the pull in his chest. Slowly, the rest of the circle began to pick up the chant. A lightbulb exploded in the light fixture above their heads, raining glass over them. Junmyeon contorted unnaturally.

As the chant picked up, and the air became thick with magic, the other light bulbs exploded, leaving them in half-darkness. Sehun was vaguely aware, over the rush of blood in his ears, that he was screaming. Not only was he screaming, but he was choking on the vile black substance from before, and his own blood. He rolled his head to the side to spit, spraying blood across the hardwood floors.

“You’re killing him!” Jongin wrestled helplessly against Krystal and Kyungsoo, trying to break loose.

“You break the circle and we’re going to lose both of them!” Krystal snarled, her grip on Jongin tightening.

It was excruciating. Sehun’s body was rejecting the extra spirit inside him, but there was nowhere for Junmyeon to go. The malevolent spirit had his claws in his body and wouldn’t let go. Amber’s voice reached a fever pitch and Sehun could feel the magic crackling across his body, stinging his skin and digging nails into his face. Junmyeon’s spirit curled tighter around Sehun’s heart and squeezed.

Too many things were happening at once the vomit the blood the magic the screaming Junmyeon the malevolent spirit Junmyeon blood pain screaming electricity _light_ -

Sehun let out one final scream, felt some of his bones crack, and slumped against the floor.

\--

“Goddammit Sehun don’t you dare die on me!” Luhan yelled, the chest compressions getting more frantic. “You do not get to die on me!” Minseok pinched Sehun’s nose again and blew hard into his mouth, hoping against hope that they’d revive him. Jongin was wailing in the background, barely held back from Sehun’s body by Chanyeol and Baekhyun. Amber was trying to stabilize Junmyeon, whose spirit had slammed back into his body without much warning and had started to bleed immediately.

“Come on Sehunnie, I know you’re in there.” Minseok whispered. “Come on. Come back to us.” They paused in the chest compressions to check for a pulse and Luhan burst into noisy tears. Jongin heard it and screamed horribly. It was the sound of true human despair, of true loss. There was no stopping the torrent of tears that flooded down his face.

“We’ve got a pulse!” Minseok yelled.

“Jongin, Jongin he’s alive.” Jongdae said, trying to get him to focus on his face. “He’s alive. He’s breathing.” He wiped Jongin’s face as Jongin let out a shaky, hysterical laugh.

Minseok kept giving mouth-to-mouth until Sehun was able to breathe on his own. His eyes started to flutter not long after. “He’s coming around, thank God.” Minseok sat back on his heels, staring down at the boy in front of him. Sehun was his to protect. He was the oldest, he was supposed to keep the baby safe. And under his hands, and his partner’s hands, they had brought him back.

Jongin finally got loose and came to sit at Sehun’s side, wiping his face with one hand and clutching Sehun’s hand with the other.  Kris and Yixing finally stopped the bleeding and just cradled Junmyeon between them. Minho had collapsed next to Tao and Kyungsoo, too exhausted to even think about what had just happened.

Sehun finally opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Jongin’s face hovering over his own. “Fuck,” he groaned, his voice hoarse. “Did I die?”

“For a minute there, yeah.” Jongin laughed again, kissing Sehun’s knuckles. “I almost lost you.”

“I’m here.” Sehun closed his eyes. “Suho?”

“He’s safe. He hasn’t woken up yet but Amber says the spirit is gone and he’s back in control.” Luhan blew his nose messily. “If you ever do something like this again, I swear I will drag your ass back from the astral plane myself.” Sehun managed a weak smile.

“My chest hurts.” He mumbled.

“Of course it does, I’ve been jumping up and down on it trying to get you back.” Luhan smoothed Sehun’s hair back from his face. “I even let Minseok give you the kiss of life.”

“I’m honored.” Sehun cracked one eye to look at Jongin. “Taemin says hello.”

“He’s okay?” Jongin hadn’t even let himself think of his friend since they’d landed back on their own plane.

“I was definitely dead. I saw him.” Sehun left out the part where Taemin had grinned at him with bloody teeth and told him to say hi to Jongin. “He’s back where he’s supposed to be.” God, Sehun was so tired.

“Do you think we can move him now?” Luhan asked Minseok.

“I think we should be okay. Just to the couch.” Minseok helped carry him carefully to the couch, spreading a blanket over him.

“I’m going to take Junmyeon upstairs.” Kris said, lifting Junmyeon into his arms. The guardian, the mother, their Suho, looked so small and fragile in his arms. “Everyone’s welcome to crash.”

It didn’t seem like anyone was in any condition to make it home themselves. Tao, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae took the spare bedroom, leaving everyone else to break out the extra blankets and pillows. Sehun, for his ordeal, had the couch all to himself. Jongin had made his bed right next to it, and Sehun fell asleep holding Jongin’s hand.

\--

In the morning, Sehun carefully stepped over Jongin, feeling the aching bones in his chest shift. Luhan had probably cracked something. It was a wobbly way up the stairs, and he almost didn’t open the door, but he had to.

Junmyeon was awake, sitting in the corner of the room with his knees pulled up to his chest. He spotted Sehun and smiled weakly. Sehun gestured for him to come with him. It was hard to pick their way out to the backyard with so many sleeping bodies around, and the two of them still so unsteady, but they made it. There was frost on the grass from the storm the night before. Junmyeon had to gingerly hop to the storage shed, even with Sehun’s attempt at holding him up.

They shut the door behind them, blocking out some of the cold. Junmyeon looked like he’d aged ten years overnight, just in his eyes. His hands were bandaged, and Sehun imagined that his feet were bandaged under the socks he was wearing.

“The injuries carried over?” Sehun asked, holding Junmyeon’s hands in his gently.

“Everything carried over.” The weight of his voice was enough to break Sehun’s heart. He wasn’t expecting Junmyeon to sink to his knees and bow his head before him. “Sehun, I owe you my life.”

“Suho-” Sehun started.

“No, Sehun.” Junmyeon looked up at him, tears in his eyes. “Without you, I would have been trapped there forever. That place…that place is a nightmare. And my boys, they would have never known what was wrong with me. I could have killed one of them, if you hadn’t stepped in and saved me.”

“Suho.” This time, Sehun knelt and took the bandaged hands in his again. “We’re family. We’re blood. We stand up for each other and we stay together. No matter what.”

Junmyeon nodded, wiping his eyes against his shirt sleeve. “You exposed yourself for me.”

“I have a gift for a reason. To help people. And if I couldn’t even help you, I would be useless.” Sehun rested his forehead against Junmyeon’s.

“Kris and Yixing were talking last night, when I started to come around.” Junmyeon hesitated. “Did you…did you have to be resuscitated?”

Sehun wanted to lie to him, to ease his burden, but he knew one of the others would mention it sooner or later. “Luhan and Minseok brought me back.”

Now Junmyeon broke down into sobs, curled over himself. “Sehun, you _died_ for me.”

“And I would do it again if I had to. Junmyeon, I love you. Everyone in that house loves you, and none of us were going to stop until we had you back safely.”

“But none of them sacrificed the way you did. You brought Kris and Jongin to get me, you carried me back with you, you died for me. How am I ever supposed to repay that?”

“You don’t. Because I don’t want you to repay me.” He wrapped his arms around him, feeling the fragility in his body. “I didn’t do it to be a hero. I did it because I loved you.” Junmyeon cried a little while longer and Sehun just held him.

“Who was the blond?” Junmyeon asked finally. “There were four of you that came in. He stayed behind.”

“It’s a long story, Junnie.” Sehun raked a hand through his hair. “Do you remember when Jongin and I had that huge falling out earlier this year?”

“How could I forget? It was like someone split the family in two.”

“Jongin had a ghost living in his house. His name is Taemin, he used to own the house. They were best friends. Taemin asked me to help him move on, and Jongin thought I’d sent him away out of spite. So I had to call him back from the afterlife so Jongin could say goodbye, and that’s when we got back together.”

“So how did he get there with us?”

“I called him. Spirits move much easier between the astral plane and their plane than they do into ours. I knew he would help find you. He stayed behind to hold the creature back while we got you away. But he’s all right. I saw him.”

Junmyeon let out a long breath. “I should buy a lottery ticket.”

“Why?”

“Because obviously my luck is great right now. Who knows, maybe I’ll win the Powerball.”

Sehun couldn’t help but laugh, which made Junmyeon break down into giggles. That was how Yixing found them, curled up on the storage shed floor cackling.

“Jesus Christ Junnie, you gave us a heart attack!” Yixing said, reaching out for Junmyeon as if he needed to convince himself that Junmyeon was really there.

“I’m sorry darling.” Junmyeon let himself be gathered up. “Sehun and I needed to talk.”

“Neither of you should be out here right now, it’s too cold. Come on Sehunnie.” Yixing wrapped his free arm around Sehun and the three of them hobbled back to the house. Kris looked ready to rip out his hair until he saw Junmyeon.

“Junnie, please, you can’t disappear on me like that. My heart’s too weak for that shit right now.” Kris said, folding Junmyeon into his arms and resting his chin on top of his head.

“Sehun was with me.” Junmyeon glanced back at Sehun fondly. “My one man ghost hunter.”

Sehun saluted with a flourish and winced when he bent. “Fuck, Junmyeon, I think you broke some of my bones.”

“Let me see.” Yixing said, helping Sehun pull up his shirt. “Oh, Sehunnie.” Sehun glanced down and saw the mottled mess of his torso. If he had to guess, he had at least three broken ribs. The center of his chest, where Luhan had been doing the compressions, had its own lovely bruise.

“We’ll have to take you to a doctor sometime soon.” Kris’s face froze as he stared over Sehun’s head. Junmyeon flushed pink, and Yixing let his face go blank.

“Uh, sorry if I’m interrupting.” It was the stranger, the one that seemed to be Junmyeon’s ex. “I just wanted some water.”

“Cups are in that cabinet.” Kris didn’t sound pleased to see him at all. Junmyeon punched him in the ribs gently.

“Be nice.” He mouthed. “Minho, thank you for coming last night.”

“Kris called and said you were in trouble. I wasn’t going to ignore that.” Minho looked over at Sehun. “You’re very brave.”

“My dad always called it inspired stupidity.” Sehun realized his shirt was still hiked up around his armpits and let it drop.

“So, does someone want to tell me why my kitchen smells this godawful?” Junmyeon said conversationally, trying to ease some of the tension.

“We were brewing some potions in here last night.” Yixing kissed the side of Junmyeon’s head. “I promise that it’ll be spotless by the time you get back.”

“Where am I going?” Junmyeon asked.

“You and Sehun need to go see a doctor. If all of your injuries carried over, we don’t know how badly injured you are. And Sehun definitely needs to get a chest x-ray.” Kris supplied. “I’ll drive you both down to the urgent care after breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” Sehun really didn’t want to think about having to fix food.

“Baekhyun and Chanyeol dipped out to get breakfast for everybody. We’ll eat, and then we’ll go to the doctor.” Kris poked his head around the corner. “Jongin? He’s in here.” Sehun closed his eyes, feeling bad for having left Jongin there.

Two bronze hands slid gently over Sehun’s stomach and Jongin wrapped his arms around Sehun’s waist, resting his cheek against his back. “How are you feeling?”

“Bruised. Kris is going to take me to the doctor.” Sehun answered, turning his face slightly to look at Jongin. His eyes were a little puffy from crying, but he looked as beautiful as ever.

“Got room for another person?” Jongin asked Kris.

“Yeah, we can take Yixing’s car instead of the truck.” Kris glanced at Yixing to make sure it was okay. “We’re going to need one hell of a group therapy session when we get back.”

“I don’t want to think about it, really.” Junmyeon said softly. “It’s something I’d really rather forget.”

“Junnie. You know you can’t just push that to the back.” Minho said. Sehun had almost forgotten he was there. The nickname seemed to rub Kris and Yixing the wrong way, but they were keeping their mouths shut.

“I don’t need a lecture, Minho. I need my partners and my family and I need to take care of everyone. It’s what I do.” Junmyeon’s voice was firm, even with how fragile he looked.

“You can take care of everyone when you’ve got some food in you.” Kris kissed the top of his head. “I think I heard Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Come on, let’s get everyone up.”

Everyone ate the coffee and doughnuts on the blankets on the floor. It really felt like a sleepover, as long as no one looked at the trap that was scorched into the floor. Junmyeon was very carefully not looking at it.

Only Amber and Krystal left when Sehun, Jongin, Kris, and Junmyeon did. They wanted to leave the family to heal in peace; everyone else wanted to be together for when they got back from the doctor. Minho must have slipped out after them at some point.

Junmyeon had to get some stitches in his hands and feet for the deeper cuts; Sehun’s X-rays showed that he did indeed have broken ribs. The doctor wrapped them up and gave him a prescription for strong painkillers for the healing process.

It was on the ride back that Sehun finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Jongin, sweetheart, I appreciate your concern but it’s starting to get a little smothering.”

“I’m not even saying anything.” Jongin looked at him strangely. “I wasn’t even looking at you.”

“No but I could feel it.” Sehun stopped short. “Oh, fuck.”

“What’s the matter?” Junmyeon asked, twisting around in his seat.

“I think I may have earned a new power. Fucking fantastic.” Sehun closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat. “I hate everything.”

“You’ll feel better when you’ve had some real rest.”

“Yeah, but first we get to have group talk. And that’ll suck if I’m feeling other people’s emotions.”

“We brought you back from the dead last night. At this point, I think we can do anything.” Kris said, turning the car off. “Come on. Family time.”

The last thing Junmyeon wanted was to walk back into that house, and see everyone staring at him. It was bad enough to see Yixing and Kris watching him like they were afraid he'd fade away before their eyes. But Baekhyun, his fragile Baekhyun, and gentle Tao, and shaken Kyungsoo, they were just as bad.

Sehun was in his own private hell between Jongin and Luhan. His boyfriend hadn't let go of him since they'd gotten back into the house, but Luhan had plastered himself against Sehun's other side. Gently, Sehun nestled his head against Luhan's shoulder, a silent reminder that he was alive and with him. It seemed to help; Sehun could feel some of the tension flood out of his body.

"So." Kris said, standing on the scorched remains of the exorcism trap. "We went through a lot yesterday."

"I think that's an understatement." Chanyeol muttered, one hand in Baekhyun's hair. Baekhyun’s eyes were swollen and red, but he seemed like he was trying to keep his face pointed away from Sehun.

"But we're all here. We're all alive." Kris crossed his arms over his broad chest. "We made it through."

"If it hadn't been for all of us together, and the kind of bond we have with each other, it wouldn't have been possible." Sehun said, slowly rising to his feet to stand next to Kris. "An exorcism isn't something you can just pull together with strangers off the street. And spirits can't inhabit a body that isn't theirs without a certain kind of bond." Sehun pulled his shirt down to show the bruise Luhan had left on his chest. "And without a certain kind of bond, maybe Lu would have given up."

"Don't say that." Luhan curled himself around Minseok, his voice thick with tears. "I never would have let you go."

"I know Lu. And that's why Junmyeon and I survived." Sehun took a deep breath. "I know this was traumatic for everyone, but the last thing Junmyeon and I need right now is everyone looking at us like we're time bombs. It just puts us more on edge. We need your love and support, but not your terror."

Tao spread his hands helplessly. "How am I not supposed to be scared for you? I watched you  _die,_ Sehun. I watched Junmyeon practically snap his spine and then start bleeding spontaneously. How am I supposed to deal with that?"

"With all of us." Kyungsoo pushed his glasses up his nose, serious eyes calm. "We get through it together, but without dropping the weight of that on Junnie and Sehun."

Junmyeon finally spoke, to Sehun. "Hunnie, is there some way to clear this house? It feels...wrong. Not like home."

"I think I have just what we need." Sehun led Jongin out to the car and pulled his duffel bag out of the trunk. Sehun wasn't supposed to be doing any heavy lifting, but Jongin was more than willing.

"You carry that around with you?" Jongdae asked, looking at the packed duffel, and all of the jars and bottles Sehun was pulling out.

"You never know when you might need something." Sehun shrugged. "All right. Who here is good at cleaning?"

Baekhyun finally lifted his face from Chanyeol's shoulder. "That's my specialty. What do you need, Hunnie?" 

Yixing got started in the kitchen with the burdock, cayenne, and hyssop mix; Baekhyun got down on his knees with a toothbrush and a bowl of the mixture to scrub up the scorch marks, and the black and brown smears of vomit. Meanwhile, Sehun settled comfortably on the couch with Junmyeon. Junmyeon cut the wicks to an even size, handing them off to Sehun to add to the odd jars, mugs, and cups he'd been mixing lemon and pine oil in.

With every candle they put together and lit, someone would run off with it to put it in one of the rooms of the house. Before long, the smell of lemon and pine permeated everything, and Yixing declared their kitchen clean. Baekhyun and Jongdae were still scrubbing at the trap, pulling up most of it but a faint imprint remained.

"That's fine, we were thinking of rearranging the furniture anyway." Junmyeon said, sounding remarkably like himself. "We'll put the rug over it."

"Feeling better?" Sehun asked softly.

"Can't you feel it?" 

"No. Seems like it was a fluke. Or maybe all this cleansing has helped me out, too." He shifted awkwardly on the couch to try to reach the duffel bag and immediately Minseok grabbed it for him. "I have one more thing to do, and then I want to go home and sleep." 

Everyone watched as Sehun sifted through his herbs, taking bunches out and dropping it into the middle of some cheesecloth. Eyebrows started going up as he braided yellow, lavender, and white ribbons together. Finally, he tied it off the cheesecloth with the ribbon braids and presented it to Junmyeon with a flourish.

"What is this exactly?" He asked, smelling it.

"Verbena, thyme, sea salt, and sweet grass. For peace and cleansing." Sehun explained. "The colors promote healing, strength, and cleansing. Take a long bath."

"Thank you, Sehun. For everything." Junmyeon kissed his forehead gently. "Go on. Go home and get some rest."

 “With pleasure.” Sehun didn’t put up a fight when Jongin half-carried him to the car, or when Luhan brought out his duffel bag and made them promise to come stay at the townhouse the next day. Even Jongin didn’t seem to mind not being alone with Sehun.

At least, until they got back to the house and Jongin had helped him make an herbal bag for a bath. Sehun had just finished tying the ribbons off when he heard a sob slip out of Jongin’s chest. Carefully, he tilted his chin up, looking at Jongin. His boyfriend looked back at him through watery eyes.

“Jongin, I’m here. I’m okay.” Sehun said softly. “I’m here. And I’m not going to leave you.”

“I just-I keep remembering the way you looked.” Jongin buried his face in his hands. “You were screaming so much and then you went completely still and there was so much _blood_. You looked so small. And when I couldn’t get you to wake up,” he had to stop because he was crying too hard, “I lost it. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had to drag me away so Minseok and Lu could try CPR.”

“I know it was scary. Believe me, it was scary for me too. But I’m okay.” Sehun folded Jongin into his arms, ignoring the way his ribs protested. “Come on baby, let’s get cleaned up.”

Jongin got into the tub first and helped Sehun settle himself between his knees. Sehun leaned his head back against his chest, taking a deep breath of the steam curling up. It eased his mind a little, and he could feel Jongin relax just a hair.

They stayed in until the water went cold. Jongin carefully dried Sehun off and rewrapped his ribs. It was the middle of the afternoon, but the two of them still crawled straight into bed, arms wrapped around each other. It was the kind of healing that would help Jongin remember that Sehun was still with him, and Sehun that he hadn’t lost the best thing in his life.

\--

Minseok flat out refused to let Sehun come to work until his ribs were better and practically locked Sehun and Jongin into the spare room of the townhouse. Not that they could have gone anywhere; Baekhyun had offered to help Jongdae out at the coffee shop until Sehun was better, so Luhan could stay home and take care of him.

And Lu was already taking care of him, spoiling the two of them rotten. It had started that morning when Sehun and Jongin arrived with their things, and he’d served a full breakfast for them. He fussed over Sehun while he was trying to read a book and kept piling blankets on Jongin while he was trying to do his composing work. Then there were Minseok’s dumplings for lunch and he forced some painkillers down Sehun’s throat to get him to stop wincing every time he moved.

“Is he starting to get on your nerves?” Jongin whispered when they had retreated back to the living room.

“A little. But Luhan needs to fuss. He needs to feel like he can take care of us. It’s his way of healing.” Sehun took a sip of tea. “Besides, we’re getting pampered here. Not a bad deal.”

“True.” Jongin chuckled and kissed the side of Sehun’s head. “Are you comfortable?”

“I think Lu gave me every pillow in the house to lie on.” Sehun gestured at the mound underneath him. “I’m not in pain, I feel fine.” Sehun nudged his ankle with his toe. “You fuss too, you know.”

“I know. I just love you, that’s all.” Jongin flashed him a smile before putting his headphones back on to continue his work.

Minseok came home from work and started fussing over the two of them as well, making sure they were comfortable and turning the thermostat up just a few more degrees. At least with his arrival, Luhan had someone else to focus on, and someone to keep him in the kitchen and not popping out every five seconds to check on his two patients.

Everyone was surprised when the doorbell rang. Minseok went to open the door, peering through the peephole carefully before he opened it.

“Junmyeon, you should be resting!” He scolded, ushering him and Yixing into the house. “What about your feet?”

“I gave him some of my painkillers.” Yixing explained, even as he directed Junmyeon straight into a chair.

“I feel fine.” Junmyeon said, although when he moved his hands it was an awful reminder that they were wrapped in bandages still.

“So why exactly are you not keeping him tied down to the bed?” Luhan asked. “I’ve practically stapled these two to the couch.”

“I actually wanted to talk to Sehun and Jongin.” Junmyeon ruffled his black hair gently. “I feel like I need a change.”

“You want us to bleach it?” Sehun asked.

“We stopped at a beauty supply store on the way here. We picked up a couple colors and the bleach that Kris uses.” Junmyeon pointed at the bag at Yixing’s feet.  Kris had been blond for as long as Sehun had known him, but Yixing and Junmyeon had never touched their natural color, even when the others went hog wild with the bleach and dye.

“Well if Lu and Minseok are willing to let us use their facilities, we can do it.” Sehun glanced at Lu, who nodded.

“Let’s do it in the kitchen.” Lu put some plastic trash bags down around a chair and cut a hole in another to protect Junmyeon’s clothes. A pot of tea appeared on the table and some of Jongdae’s almond braids, which Yixing happily dug into while Sehun mixed the bleach. Minseok and Jongin joined the crowd at the table, watching as Sehun dabbed Vaseline at Junmyeon’s hair line.

“Oh, that smells awful.” Yixing wrinkled his nose up when the bleach smell reached him. “We make Kris do it while we’re out of the house.”

“You came to my salon, Xingxing.” Sehun laughed, pulling on gloves to start working the bleach into Junmyeon’s hair. It didn’t take long, even with as thick as his hair was. Sehun was an expert, having been doing his own hair for years, and helping the others with their hair when they needed it.

When it came time to wash out the bleach, Sehun and Junmyeon went into the bathroom alone. It took some awkward positioning to get Junmyeon’s head into the sink so the water wouldn’t wash over his face, especially when he didn’t stand very well and Sehun wasn’t terribly mobile.

“So why the change, Suho?” Sehun asked, working his fingers through his hair.

“I needed to do something. I figured with the amount of Yixing’s pain medicine I have in my system a tattoo or a piercing would be a bad idea. So why not change my hair?”

“At least this isn’t permanent.”

“Nothing is permanent, Sehun.” Junmyeon’s eyes were hard and serious. “I thought I knew which way was up and down, and now everything is all spun out. Nothing is the same, and neither am I.”

“I’m not knocking your choice. I just wanted to understand your reasoning.” Sehun gave him one more rinse to make sure he’d gotten all the bleach, and then squeezed the water out of his hair with an old towel. “And I want you to know we all love you the same.”

“Thank you, Hunnie.” They rejoined the crowd in the kitchen and dug into the pizza Luhan had ordered for everyone. Then when Junmyeon’s hair had dried, fluffy and light yellow-blond, Sehun went to mix the hair dye. The color they’d ended up with in the end was a kind of peachy-pink, which pleased Junmyeon. He wouldn’t stop looking at himself in the mirror when it had dried, tugging on the ends of his hair to watch the way the light looked on the peachy strands.

“It’s beautiful, Junnie.” Yixing commented, wrapping his arms around him. “Kris is going to love it.”

“You sure you don’t want me to do yours too?” Sehun joked, laughing when Yixing visibly recoiled. “Fine, fine.”

There was a flurry of hugs and kisses goodbye before Yixing and Junmyeon could leave. Sehun snuggled back up on the couch, his legs stretched out across Jongin’s lap. Luhan was curled up in his armchair, Minseok curled in front of the fireplace like a cat.

Sehun closed his eyes, and felt at peace.


End file.
